Lubricating device for wheel-flanges.



O. L. TANNER. LUBRIOATING DEVICE FOR WHEEL FLANGES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1910.

tented May 28, 1912. 9%

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Quota wig CLARK LAWRENCE TANNER, OF MILES CITY, MONTANA.

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR'WH EEL-FLANGES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 28,1912.

Application. filed January 17, 1910. Serial No. 538,488.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CLARK L. TANNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Miles City, in the county of Custer and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Lubricating Device for VVheel- Flanges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for automatically lubricating the flanges of locomotive drivers, and is especially useful on mountainous orot-her railroads where there arenumerous curves in the track, so that by lubricating'the flanges of the driving wheels, the life thereof will be greatly prolonged, as well as the life of the rails.

The invention has for one of its objects 'to improve and simplify the constructionof apparatus of this character so as to be reliable and eflicient in use, comparatively simple and inexpensive, and readily kept in running order. 7

Another object is the provision of lubricating means including separate nozzles for the wheels and oil drip cups connected with the nozzles in combination with a conduit leading from the steam exhaust pipe of the air pump of the air brake system so that the wheels can be'lubricated with oil from the said cups and also the unused oil which passes from the air pump cylinder together with the water of condensation therefrom passing through the exhaust pipe.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which.

illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side View of the lubricating apparatus shown applied. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 isan enlarged sectional view taken centrally through one of the oil cups and 'theparts connected therewith.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views. The lubricating apparatus, designated generally by A, is supported on the locomotive in any suitable manner, preferably in front of the front drivers 13 of the locomotive, and the apparatus is provided with separate discharging nozzles 1 having their discharge orifices flanges 2 of the driving wheels so that the latter will be kept lubricated for the purpose of preventing excessive friction and grinding when .the. train passes around curves in the track.

, Thev lubricating device for each wheel consists of an oil cup 3 which has its bottom connected by a pipe 4 with the-upper end of a receptacle 5 which contains a body of hair 6 or other fibrous material through which the voil percolates on its way to the The lower end of the receptacle nozzle 1. 5 hasa short pipe section 7, the receivingend of which is protected by a gauz 8 so as to prevent the hair from stopping-up the passage in the pipe 7, and the nozzle 1 is flexibly connected with this pipe by a hose 9 which permits the nozzle to be accurately positioned with respect to the flange of the driver. In the bottom of the cup 3 is a valve seat 10 with which cooperates a needle valve 11 that has its upper end threaded in the cover 12 of the cup and by means of the located adjacent the the lubricating devices for each wheel, this being accomplished by connecting a pipe 15 to a'T coupling 16 with the exhaust pipe 14 and providing branches 17 from the pipe 15 connected with the lubricating devices at points between the oil cups and the receptacles 5. Water of condensation in the exhaust pipe 14 will find its way through the pipe 15 and branches 17 to the receptacles 5 and lubricating oil flowing through the pipe 14 will also find its way in the same dlrec- 'tjon. Exhaust steamalso flows through the pipe 14 and into the pipe 15 and by the branches 17 to the receptacles 5, but because of the fibrous material within the receptacles the exhaust steam does not as steam flowdirectly to the nozzles l, but is con.-

- densedby the retarding action of the fibrous material and the large rediating surface provided by the receptacles 5, so that the receptacles 5 filled with fibrous material serve as condensers for such exhaust steam as-has notalready been condensed and prevents-steam from flowing through the receptacles 5 and so forcibly ejecting both steam and water and oil against the flanges, which oil and water, and such additional lubricant as it may be necessary to sup 1y from" the-cupsB, and such lubricating uids are not e ected forcibly against the wheel 'flanges as would occur if the exhaust steam had free passage to the nozzles 1, but the flow'is retarded and the exhaust steam be comes condensed in its passage through the condensers 5. The exhaust pipe 14 is shown as coming from an air pump structure 18, which may follow the usual practice in air brake systems, and this air pump is shown as under the control of avalve 11'9 as is customary.

The device of the present invention is extremely simple and effective and has proven in practice to be highly eflicient and satisfactory. No attention isrequired on the part of the engineman, except to maintain the supply of lubricant in the oil cups.

When trave ing over com aratively long straight sections of track W ere no lubrication of the flanges of the wheels is required, the needle valves may be closed to prevent waste of lubricant from the oil cups, but the escape of waste lubricant and water of condensation from the, exhaust steam may continue, since there is no reason for preventing such escape.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which- I nowvconsiderto be the best embodiment thereof,-I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the sc'ope'of theclaims ap'lplended hereto.

aving thus described the invention, what a I'claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, .is

1. A lubri'catin means for wheel flanges comprising a con uit including a section of greater diameter than the main portion of the conduit, and constituting a receptacle, fibrous material wholly inclosed in said receptacle, a nozzle connected to one end of the receptacle, and a steam pipe for conducting exhaust steam and waste lubricant to latter arethereby lubricated by both waste driving means of an air .larged thereceptacle, said steam pipe being con-.

nected-to the receptacle at the end thereof remote from'the nozzle, and said receptacle with the fibrous material therein constituting a condenser for the exhaust steam.

Y 2. -A lubricating apparatus for wheels comprising a lubricant-containing cup, a valve for controlling the discharge of lubricant from the cup, a receptacle in the path of lubricant discharging from the cup and connected to said cup, 'said receptacle containing a body' of. fibrous material which the lubricant must traverse in its passageto the receptacle, a flexible conduit connected with, the race tacle atthe end remote from. that connecte with the lubricant containing cup, anozzle secured to the end of the flexithe conduit between the lubricant cup and the fibrous material.

51. A means for utilizin the exhaust steam and waste lubricant from the pump lpake system for .Wheel flanges,

causing the lubrication 0 comprising a conduit leading to a wheel flange and having an expanded portion adjacent the wheel flange and 'inclosing steam retardin and condensing means, and means at the dlscharge end of the conduit beyond the ,retarding means for directing fluids passing therethroughto the wheel flange to be lubricated,

a 5. A lubricating apparatus for wheels comprising a conduit terminating in a discharge nozzle for lubricant and rovided ,with means for directing exhaust uid into said conduit, retarding'means for the exhaust fluid within the conduit between the point of entrance of the fluid and the nozzle, and a lubricant cup connected to the conduit at a nozzle than the point of entrance of the exhaust fluid.

6. A lubricating apparatus for wheel flanges comprising a conduit terminating at one end in a nozzle in operative relation to 'a wheel and provided with a portion of enlarged diameter adjacent thennozzle, said enlarged portion containing loose fibrous material wholly inclosed therein, the conduit having means beyondthe end of the en- Ortion remote from the nozzle for connection to an exhaust steam pipe, and the fibrous mater al within the enlarged portion oint therein more-remote from the' constituting aret-arding and condensing means for exhaust steam reaching such fibrous material.

7 A lubricating apparatus for wheels comprising a conduit terminating at one end in a lubricant directing nozzle and including a flexible section adjacent the nozzle, said conduit also having means for the introducton of exhaust fluid, a retarding means for the exhaust fluid between the point of introduction of the exhaust fluid and the. nozzle, and a lubricant cup connected to the conduit on the side of the exhaust fluid connection remote from the retarding means.

8. A lubricating apparatus for wheels comprising a conduit having an enlarged section containing fibrous material and at one side of said enlarged section having means for connecting an exhaust pipe thereto, the conduit at the end of the enlarged section remote from the steam connection being provided with a flexible portion terminating in lubricant directing means.

9. A lubricating apparatus for Wheels comprising a conduit having an enlarged section containing fibrous material and at one side of said enlarged section having means for connecting an exhaust pipe thereto, the conduit at the end of the enlargedsection remote from the exhaust pipe connection being provided with a flexible portion terminating in a lubricant directing nozzle, and a lubricant cup provided with means for controlling the flow of lubricant therefrom and connected to the conduit on the side of the exhaustpipe connection remote from the enlarged portion of the conduit.

10.- An apparatus for lubricating the drivers of a locomotive comprising'conduits for lubricant each having a discharge nozzle and including a section containing fibrous material through which the lubricant is directed, connections in the conduits for coupling an exhaust pipe thereto, said connections leading into the conduitson the side of the fibrous material remote from the nozzles, and controllable lubricant cups each connected to a respective conduit. at a point more remote from the fibrous material than the connection for the exhaust pipe.

11. An apparatus for lubricating the drivers of a locomotive comprising conduits for lubricant having each a discharge nozzle and including a section containing fibrous material through which the lubricant is directed, connections in the conduits for an exhaust pipe, said connections lead ing into the conduits on the side of the fibrous material remote from the nozzles, and controllable lubricant cups each connected to a respective conduit at a point more remote from the fibrous material than the connection for the exhaust pipe, said conduits each including a flexible section between the section containing the fibrous material and the discharge nozzle.

12. A lubricator for locomotives comprising in combination with driving wheels thereof, an air-brake pump carried thereby, a valve for controlling the supply of steam to said pump, and an exhaust pipe leading from said pump, a second pipe leading from said exhaust pipe and provided with branch pipes extending toward the sides of the engine, condensation chambers connected with said branch pipes, and discharge pipes lo cated on opposite sides of the engine and connected with said condensation chambers, each discharge pipe leading to a point adja-' cent a driving wheel flange and terminating in a nozzle adapted to direct a spray against the outer face of said driving wheel flange.

13. A lubricat-or for locomotives comprising in combination with driving wheels thereof, an air-brake pump carried thereby,

a. valve for controlling-the supply of steam to said pump, and an exhaust pipe leading from said pump, a second pipe leading from said exhaust pipe and provided with branch pipes extending toward the sides of the en gine, condensation chambers connected with said branch pipes, each of said condensation chambers containing hair, and discharge pipes located on opposite sides of the engine, and connected withsaidcondensation chambers, each discharge pipe leading to a point adjacent a driving Wheel flange and terminating in a nozzle adapted to direct a spray against the outer face of said driving wheel In test mony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARK LAWRENCE TANNER.

\Vitnesses:

A. H. SEVERDFIGER, WV. E. RoBERTs. 

